


Untouched

by morsly



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-04 08:50:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morsly/pseuds/morsly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows the story of Sofia Chmerkovskiy and Alex White, the children of Meryl and Maks and Charlie and Tanith.  Exists in the same universe as Home is Wherever I'm With You.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sofia got into her car and thought through what just happened. They had chosen their long dance music: Bonnie and Clyde- The Musical. It was not Sofia’s first choice. She would have prefered some nice Chopin. Or Bolero! What was wrong with Bolero? But her Aunt/Coach Tanith was adamant that they need something older, more grown up, dare she say, sexy. “It’s also about time you guys started telling stories with your programs.”

“We already tell stories!”

“Yes, stories of, ‘wow this lift is really painful.”

“That’s not my fault.” Sofia glanced at Alex who was on his phone.

“Right, so I’m signing you both up for acting classes. This program will be felt, not seen.”

Alex glanced up from his phone to roll his eyes. “Seriously, mom?”

“You’re on summer vacation, and we have a lot of work to do.”

Sofia shook her head to bring her back to the present, turning the keys in the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot, beginning the 45 minute drive home. The long trek to the rink is the reason she had been gifted the car on her 16th birthday. “If you’re serious about your skating career, the car is yours,” her parents had prefaced before putting the keys in the palm of her hand. Sofia was serious about her skating career, and so was her coach/godmother. Tanith believed they would make it to the Olympics some day. They won bronze at junior Nationals earlier that year, and that’s why she thought it was time for them to step up their game and start ‘telling stories’.

Alex, on the other hand, didn’t seem very serious. He worked hard, but he never seemed like he wanted to be there. He still treated Sofia like he did when he first moved to New Jersey when he was 10 because of his father’s new job with the ACLU. That kind of, “ew, she’s younger than me and a girl,” attitude.

But two years after their move, Tanith had them skating together, making it easier for Alex to touch her, but, you know, not treat her like his equal. They were friends, there was no denying that. They got pizza after practice when Sofia didn’t want to make the drive without some food. He showed her all his favorite Stephen Colbert sketches while they warmed up, and they had weird inside jokes. But he still looked at her like she was nine.

She was no longer nine. She was 17, none of the pre-pubescent awkwardness lingering. Sofia had inherited some of her parents’ best qualities. The long brown hair and glittering smile of her mother with the perfect nose of her father. She was a petite 5’4, but she had fewer angles than her mom. Her body was soft and strong. People would argue about whether she was an exotic or all-American beauty, but they agreed on one thing: that she was beautiful. She wore it subtly, though, seemingly unaware in what other people saw in her.

Alex was a little more aware of himself. He had been born with the hair, and he wore it well. The ladies loved the hair. Alex loved the ladies. Sofia loved rolling her eyes.

Alex was kind of the serial dater of their rink. Meryl would clutch Tanith’s hands and whisper “like Fedor...” Sofia Googled it. She knew.

She plugged her phone into the car, blasting Sam Smith (one of her parents’ favorites ((she Googled that too)) until she pulled into the three car garage. She was the second one home. Her mother’s Prius was parked on the far end, so Sofia guessed that her father had gone to the store to get ingredients for some extravagant dinner her was planning for that night. She got out of the car and pulled her bag from the backseat. The garage door was open, naturally, so she walked in.

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table with a pile of papers, no doubt her students’ to grade. “Don’t you have an office for this?” Sofia walked over and kissed her mother on her cheek.

Meryl chose to ignore the comment. “How was your skate, baby?”

Sofia sighed. “Good. We chose our program music.” She dropped her duffle and went to fill up a glass of water.

“And?”

Sofia took a sip from her glass and sat at the table across from her mother. “Bonnie and Clyde the Musical. It opened in 2011 and closed after one month, so that’s promising.”

“I’m sure it was picked for the right reasons.” Meryl was trying to be supportive. “Hm, Bonnie... Is she maybe a little Delilah-like?”

Sofia groaned. “Yeah, Aunt Tanith is making us take acting classes in a few weeks so we can work on being in love and sexy and depressed.” She put the last six words in air quotes.

“Don’t knock acting classes! Uncle Charlie and I worked very very hard to make our programs believable.”

“I saw Notre Dame de Paris. I know.”

“And it’s about time you two started telling stories anyways.”

Sofia rolled her eyes. They both heard Maks’s car pull into the garage, and Meryl stood up, clearing the pile of papers off the table and walking back to her office. “Are you hiding from dad?” Sofia called back to her.

“Just putting these away, Ms. Suspicious!”

Sofia got up from the table and walked to the door, opening it to see her father, arms full of groceries. “Are there more in the trunk?” She kissed his cheek.

“Nope, that’s it.” She moved out of the way, and he closed the door with his foot.

Meryl came into the kitchen as Maks was putting the bags on the counter. Sofia saw her wrap her arms around him before she turned around, busying herself with unloading groceries as not to see her parents making out in front of her. Nick usually made a big deal out of seeing them kiss, which was often, by making 13 year old puking noises. Sofia just liked to let it happen, thankful her parents were still so in love.

She heard them break apart and her mother giggle, something her surprisingly still did in her forties. Maks came up behind his daughter and placed his hands on her shoulders. “And how was your day?”

Sofia examined a carton of eggs. “Okay, I guess. We chose program music.”

“And I’m guessing you don’t like it very much.” He reached around her for things he could put away.

“I’ll get over it.” She took her carton of eggs to the refrigerator.

“Tanith wants them to take acting classes so they can be in love and sexy.” Meryl was leaning against the counter, a glass of red wine having mysteriously appeared in her hand.

“Sexy? We’ll have to talk to her about that.”

Sofia rolled her eyes and went to pick up her duffle. “I need to shower this skate away. Tell me when dinner’s ready, though.” She raced upstairs, eager to get away from a discussion about her sex appeal.

She quickly closed her bedroom door behind her and walked to her ensuite. Her brother usually had to share a bathroom with whatever guest they were housing, but Sofia somehow lucked out and got her own. She turned the the water on as hot as it would go and turned to look at herself in the full length mirror. She had kicked off her shoes somewhere, and she was only wearing leggings, a tank top, and a sports bra. Her jacket for the ice was in her bag. Her body face looked tired, but her body looked strong. She lifted her shirt over her head and saw that the faintest line of abs were beginning to form. She smiled slightly. 

She finished stripping and got under the hot water, feeling the stress and awkwardness of the day be washed away with her favorite vanilla scented body wash.

\--

Their dinner was quiet and uneventful. Nick was at a sleepover, and his usual mindless chatter was missing from their table. Afterwards, Sofia excused herself upstairs. Her parents were having a little too much fun washing dishes, and it would probably result in lots of kitchen making out. Had they no shame?

Sofia cuddled into her reading chair and was deep inside Always I Am Caesar, well beyond what she had to read for AP Latin next year, when she heard the master bedroom door close. She had originally taken Latin out of spite for her language loving mother. Mery was appalled that her daughter would chose something so impossible to use in daily life. But Sofia quickly learned to love the dead language and all that came with it. 

She felt her phone buzz at her hip. She pulled it out of her blanket cocoon to see that Alex was calling her. “Hello?”

“Sof,” he drawed out that one syllable.

“Are you drunk?”

“Maybe a little. Look, I need a favor.”

She rolled her eyes. He needed favors a lot. “What this time?”

“It’s nothing huge. Just if my mom asks you what you did last night tomorrow, we saw a movie.”

“We saw a movie?”

“Yup.”

“What did we see?” Getting drunk Alex to think was one of Sofia’s favorite pastimes.

“The one with the talking animals.” She heard a girl’s giggle in the background. “Look, Sof, I gotta go, but thanks so much.”

She heard him hang up before she could say anything else. She tucked her phone back into her cocoon and picked up her book. The next chapter was The Stones of Rome: Caesar and the Sociology of Roman Public Building. Way more interesting than seeing a talking animal movie with drunk Alex.

\--

He was hungover at the rink the next morning, and Sofia was unforgiving, suggesting to Tanith that they practice spins first thing. Tanith thought it was a great idea and Alex shot her a look. She sauntered off to the locker room, quite pleased with herself.

When it was lunch time, she insisted on buying Alex a slice of pizza, knowing he hadn’t eaten anything, and that all the spinning wasn’t helping.

When he’d successfully secretly thrown it away, he pulled her out of earshot from their coach. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m not going to lie for you anymore.”

He shot her a famous Alex White smile. “I thought we had a little system going.” He was trying to be serial dater of the rink to her.

“We have no system! Learn to take care of yourself!” She walked away, telling Tanith that she just wasn’t feeling it today, and needed to go home. Tanith told her to come back ready to learn choreography the next day. Sofia told her she would.

She got into her car and started blasting whatever mind numbing thing came on first before speeding out of the lot and towards home, knowing that a book and Netflix were waiting for her there. No pressures of winning a national title, no Bonnie and Clyde, and no obnoxious Alex Whites.


	2. Chapter 2

Sofia bit her lip and looked at the clothes she had laid out on her bed. Her wet hair hung down her back, and she had a towel around her middle. She fingered the fabric of the flow-y, overpriced black tank top. She never understood how her mother could spend more than $30 on such a simple piece of clothing, but the price tag was still on the shirt, and it read $80. She tore it off and tossed her towel onto the bed, pulling on the over priced tank top and a pair of dark wash skinny jeans.

She hung up her towel in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She had some ‘dead rat’ hair going, so she picked up her blow dryer and ran her fingers through her hair as all the moisture left. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and opened her makeup bag. A little blush and mascara never hurt anyone.

She went back into her room and picked up her black, slouchy Prada bag (a hand-me-down from her mother), scouring her room for things to put in it. She unplugged her phone from the charger and put both items inside. She took her wallet and a tube of lip tint off her desk, tossing them in as well. She picked up her favorite sandals and a Lululemon jacket and left the room, making her way downstairs to see her mother leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee and a romance novel at the kitchen table.

Sofia put her bag and jacket on the table and moved to put her shoes on. “I thought I was late.”

Meryl looked up. “You are. There’s a yogurt and your coffee on the counter. Ready to go?”

Sofia threw the yogurt into her bag along with the jacket and picked up the travel mug. “Yup! Tell me why you’re coming again?”

They had both moved towards the door. Meryl picked up her purse. “I would never pass up a girls day in the city!”

Sofia opened the door to the garage. “Mom, Alex is going to be there too.”

“And I really want to watch your acting classes.” Meryl closed the door behind them and pressed the button to unlock the Prius.

“That’s weird.” Sofia got in.

“It’s not.” Meryl turned on the car and the garage door opened behind them. “Is there anything you want to listen to?” Meryl asked once they got on the main road to Alpine.

“I have The Picture of Dorian Grey on my phone.”

Meryl gave her a look. “Is that for AP Lit next year?”

“Yeah, I’ve already read Pride and Prejudice so this one was my only option.” She plugged her phone into the car.

“You are such a nerd.”

“Says the mother who has a PhD in cultural anthropology.”

“Touche. Play the audio-book.”

Sofia pressed ‘play’, and let herself become immersed in the incorrigible wit of Oscar Wilde, only emerging when she saw that they had pulled up in front of the White’s ginormous house. Sofia got out of the car. “Why couldn’t we have driven up separately?”

Meryl put her sunglasses on her head and started up the pathway to the front door. “We’re saving gas.” She rang the doorbell.

“You drive a Prius.”

Charlie answered beaming, trying to holding an excited golden retriever by his collar. “Meryl, you really can just let yourself in.”

She waved him away as she entered the home. “Yeah, yeah.” She walked towards the kitchen where all the activity was. Sofia tried to follow her, but her Uncle Charlie stopped her for a hug.

“You are really channeling 27-year-old-Meryl with that outfit today.”

She kissed his cheek. “Great! All a girl wants to be in life— her mother.” Charlie followed her back towards the kitchen where a 14 year old Katie and a 9 year old Olivia (she was their perfect accident) were enjoying scrambled eggs in their PJ’s at the kitchen table, their mother and Aunt Meryl sitting with them.

Tanith squealed when she saw Sofia. “Are you ready for your big city acting lessons?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be!” She tried to fake excitement.

“Sofia, why don’t you go see if Alex is ready.” Meryl suggested.

“Um,” Yeah, catching my ice dance partner either showering or masturbating or picking his nose hairs is something I definitely want to do.

“I’ll go see!” Olivia jumped up from the table and fled the room, saving Sofia from having to talk herself out of that one. Both the Chmerkovskiys and the Whites sometimes had a hard time realizing just how old their oldest children were.

“So, Sofia, was the end of your junior year good?” Charlie tried to break the silence that had befallen them.

“It was pretty uneventful.”

“She was picked to be editor and chief of the literary magazine!”

“Mom…”

“Sofia that’s awesome!” 

“What’s Sofia doing that’s so awesome?” Alex entered the kitchen, his hair wet from a shower and his growing muscles visible under the black tshirt he was wearing.

Sofia bit her lip and tried to look away, her stupid girl response making it hard. “She’s the editor in chief of her school’s literary magazine!” Tanith spoke from the table.

“Cool,” Alex nodded and went to pour coffee into a travel mug.

Meryl stood up. “You guys match. That is so cute!”

An ‘aw!’ came from Tanith, and Sofia tried not to blush. Her mother was just so embarrassing. “Are we leaving now, or…?” She tried to walk out of the kitchen.

“I’m ready if you guys are.”

They left the house and piled into Tanith’s Escalade, Sofia and Alex sitting together in the back.

“We listened to Oscar Wilde on the way here,” Meryl spoke to Tanith.

“You’re such a dork,” Alex smiled at Sofia.

“At least I’m not a drunken man-whore.” She kept her eyes on her phone.

“Ouch.” He tried to be offended, but there was something funny about Sofia trying to be mean, so he couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re still not forgiven.” He had called her whilst drunk twice after she had tortured him with his own hangover.

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

She finally took her eyes off the screen. “Um, how about you don’t do it again!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Meryl turned around to smile at them.

“How Alex calls me when he’s waste—”

“We’re talking about Bonnie and Clyde!”

Meryl patted Alex’s knee before turning back around. “You two just pretend we’re not here.”

The rest of the car ride was mostly uneventful. When they got to Manhattan, Tanith parked the car in a deck for the day, and they hailed a cab to the studio where the acting classes were held.

As she sat in the white, modern waiting room, Sofia felt her palms sweating. She didn’t know why she was nervous. She’d always been the performer. It was Alex who should be nervous. But of course Alex looked cool as can be, not at all nervous, and like the summer heat and humidity had no effect on him at all. Naturally.

An average looking man in a flannel and jeans (in summer, in NYC, really?!) walked out of a room and came up to them. “Alex and Sofia?”

They all stood up. “And I’m Tanith, I’m their coach and his mother. This is Meryl, she’s Sofia’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you all! I’m David.” He led them back into the room. It looked a lot like a dance studio, a few folding chairs off to one side, floor to ceiling mirrors, and an impressive looking speaker system in one corner. He had them all sit down in the folding chairs to discuss what they wanted to accomplish.

“You guys are my first figure skaters, I must admit.”

“Well you are our first acting person, so.” Alex tried to lessen the awkwardness that mostly came from their mothers being there.

Tanith reached into her purse and pulled out a CD. “This is their program music. I thought you guys could work on characterization and feeling their way through the piece. They have the basic choreography, so whatever can be done on the floor…”

David went to the sound system to put in the CD. “Will I know this music?”

“It’s Bonnie and Clyde, the musical.” Sofia tried not to let her disinterest creep into her voice, but David’s face lit up.

“With Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan?” He clutched a hand to his heart dramatically and pressed play. “This show closed way too soon.”

The opening notes of their program wafted through the air, and Sofia had to admit that it was growing on her. “Okay, both of you, up! I want to see what you have so far, emotion-wise.”

Alex and Sofia stood up and tried to do as much of the program as they could without skates below them, basically just marking it. Before they could even get to the first lift (they weren’t even sure they were supposed to do it), David stopped the music. “Your faces are dead.” He turned to Tanith and Meryl. “No offense, but I think we might be able to get a little bit more done without you here. There’s coffee in the lobby, and you’re more than welcome to leave and come back to get them.”

The moms picked up their bags and left the room smiling, wishing good luck to the slightly embarrassed teenagers. David led them over to the chairs. “Let’s talk about your characters. Clyde, you first.”

“He’s a criminal who loves his woman. There’s not much more to him than that.”

“Oh, but there is!” David encouraged. “Does he lead a life of crime for his woman?”

“He does everything for her.” Alex glanced at Sofia.

“Then that needs to be in his expressions, and it needs to drive every movement he takes.” He looked at Sofia. “Bonnie?”

“Well, in the first part of the program, she’s trying to seduce him.”

“She’s already seduced him. She’s teasing him.” Alex cut in.

“Teasing him?”

“Like, the way it’s choreographed, you’re almost leading me. I’m supposed to be hanging off of your every movement.”

“That’s great, guys! So, Alex, we need to actually see you hanging off her every movement, and Sofia, you need to move like you know you have that power. The opening sequence is sort of just a series of poses, right?” They both nodded. “So, let’s go through those.”

They all stood up, and Sofia and Alex moved into their opening pose. She stood with her back against him, looking up at him. She held her arms by her sides, and he had one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist. “Now how could we change this to reflect the characters we just talked about?” David implored.

Sofia turned her head away from Alex, and pulled her arms up to hug them against her self sensuously, resting the tips of her fingers on Alex’s hand that rested on her shoulder. “Alex, your turn.”

He moved his hand off her shoulder to gently guide her face towards his by her chin. “That was awesome! Can that be part of the transition to your next pose? Will Tanith mind?”

“What we really have now just just the bones of the program, so I think she’ll love it.” Alex spoke still looking into Sofia’s eyes. She broke the pose and looked at David.

“But you guys need to remember to keep your characters in your faces as well. Move on to the second pose!” Alex grabbed Sofia’s waist and pulled her flush against him. She put her hands on his neck and brought her face as close to his as possible without them actually kissing. They breathed together.

“This is brilliant, but I need more tension. Tease the angst that is the second half of this program.”

Sofia scrunched up her shoulders slightly, and she felt his grip on her waist tighten.

“Oh, it’s fabulous! Okay, last pose.”

Sofia let go of his neck and moved away from him, all of the sudden feeling breathless. Thankfully, their last pose involved Alex holding her hand an arms length behind her, so he wouldn’t notice the unevenness of her breath.

“You two are becoming old pros at this!”

The next 45 minutes of their class flew by, they mostly just talked through the motivation of the second half of their piece, the half where Bonnie reflects on the fact that she wouldn’t mind dying if she got to die with Clyde. It was all very angst-y.

They walked out of the room and into the lobby where David shook the hands of both Tanith and Meryl, praising them for their fabulous children. Alex nudged Sofia slightly and whispered, “He might be a little dramatic…”

“Well, he’s an acting teacher. What else would you expect?” She tried to be sarcastic, but she couldn’t help but to smile.

—

They then went out to lunch, picking a nice Ethiopian place in Hell’s Kitchen. Tanith then dragged them to see the newest MoMA exhibit, which Meryl actually enjoyed, and Alex and Sofia pretended to. They mostly just made fun of the modern art, estimating how long it would take them to recreate it at home.

During the trip back to the White’s house, Sofia fell asleep, her head ending up fallen against Alex’s shoulder. He looked down at his partner, whose eyelashes created dancing shadows against her cheekbones, and he couldn’t help putting his arm around her, pulling her closer. In her sleep, she sighed and reached a hand up to clutch his tshirt. Tanith looked in the rear view mirror at them and smiled knowingly at Meryl.


	3. Chapter 3

They Davis-Chermkovskiys were enjoying a leisurely Saturday afternoon at home, a few days after Sofia and Alex’s acting lessons.  They were all on their expansive back porch, Meryl doing yoga, Maks doing some DWM work on a laptop, Nick curled up with the a Harry Potter book, and Sofia reading the final chapter of Always I am Caesar.  She sat on the porch swing, her back resting against one of the arms, and her legs stretched out as much as they could be.  She was wearing leggings and an oversized tshirt that fell off one shoulder, her hair in a ponytail thrown over the other.

They heard the door bell chime through the house and the open doors to their kitchen.  Nick sat up and put a finger on his nose.  “Nose goes!”

“This is a very complicated pose, so I won’t be getting that,” Meryl spoke with her head between her legs.

Sofia looked at her dad.  “And I’m your father, so it’s you, Sof.”

She sighed and put her book down, swinging her legs over the side of the bench and walking back into the house, through the kitchen, then their entryway to the front door.  She turned the knob and there was Alex.  She was all the sudden very aware of the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra.  She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled apprehensively.  “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you to a talking animal movie.”

She was a little taken aback, so she focused in on the one thing that came to her mind.  “You didn’t want to text first?”

He shrugged his shoulders and gave her his famous Alex White smile.  “Suprise.  I mean, you want to go, right?”

She just stared at him for a minute.  “Sure, come in.  I obviously have to change.”  She held the door and he walked in.  “The fam is all on the deck.  My mom is doing yoga, or something.  You can hang out with them for a few minutes, I guess.”

“Don’t sound too sure of yourself.”  He walked passed her, right onto the deck.  “Aunt Meryl!  Uncle Maks!  Nick!”  Maks looked up from the laptop and smiled.

Meryl came out of downward dog and went over to hug him.  “Alex!  Good morning!  Here for yoga?”

“Nope, sorry.  Sofia and I are going to see a movie.”

“Sof, why didn’t we know about this?”  Meryl raised her eyebrows at her daughter.

“Um, I forgot.”  Sofia spoke from the doorway, shooting Alex a look.

“Well, you’re not wearing that out of the house.”  Maks kept his eyes on the screen.

Sofia tried to hide her eye roll.  “Yes, dad, I know.  I’m going to change.”  She left the deck and went upstairs to her room.  She pulled out a pair of skinny jeans from her closet and went to look in her summer shirt drawer.  She picked out a tomato red tank top with white embroidery on the neckline and threw the clothes on.  She put on her sandals and went to her bathroom to look in the mirror.  She looked tired.  She took her hair out of the ponytail and let it hang down her back.  She quickly swiped on some mascara and a little bit of bronzer on her cheekbones.  If he was going to spring himself on her like this, this was as good as it was going to get.

She stuffed a jacket into her Prada just in case the movie theatre got too cold, and she made her way downstairs.  Her mother had poured Alex a glass of lemonade, and they were sitting at the kitchen table talking about this year’s programs.

“And we now have our short dance music, too.  It’s called A Walk In The Forest.  I think my mom is going to dress us like Peter Pan or something.  It should be interesting.”

Meryl looked up as her daughter entered the room.  “Sofia, why don’t you tell me these things?  These big things like picking program music!”

“I thought Tanith told you everything.”

“True.  Okay, I guess you two have to get going.”  Alex stood up and handed his glass to Meryl.  She walked them to the front door.  “Have fun!”

They got in Alex’s car.  “So, you drove 45 minutes to take me to an animal movie.  Why?”

He shrugged as he pulled out of the driveway.  “I felt bad.”

“Alex White felt something?!  Alert the presses.”

“Ha-ha, Sofia is a comedian.”

“I would shove you if you weren’t driving.”

“You would shove me?  That’s so poetic.  Why not just hit me?”

“Because I don’t actually want to hurt you, I want to channel my annoyance through subtle violence.”

“Why do you talk like you’re in a Jane Austen novel?”

“Why do you not?”

“Fine.”  He turned on the radio to some top 40 station, letting them settle into a comfortable quiet with a thumping bass in the background.

They stood in line for tickets at the theatre, and Sofia read the marquee.  “So, which talking animal movie are we seeing?”

“Shit, there’s more than one?  I was not planning on that.”

“Now Alex is the comedian!  We should take this act to New York.”

“I agree.  We’re fucking hilarious.”

She made him pick the film, and he paid for her ticket.  She was really expecting his ‘taking Sofia to a movie’ to be simply driving her there, but she was pleasantly surprised, so she offered to buy popcorn and soda.  Alex suggested they share a soda, but he changed his mind when he found out Sofia would be drinking diet.  “You’re like the size of my pinky finger,” he criticized.

“I don’t drink it for the lack of sugar, I drink it for the taste.”

“It tastes like chemicals.”

“You taste like chemicals.”

“Burn.”

“I know.  I’m on a roll today.”  She picked up her drink and they started towards their theatre.

“Wait, how do you know what I taste like?”

“Warming up at Nats last year.  You accidentally shoved your hand in my mouth.  There was lipstick everywhere.”

“Oh, yes, that was a thing that did happen.”  He held the door for her, and they walked into the dark theatre where the previews had already started.  “Oh shit, we’re late,” he said a little louder than necessary, on purpose.

She elbowed him, and a little bit of both their popcorn spilled onto the ground.  “This is a children’s movie.  Language!”  She whispered as they found seats towards the back.

The film was pretty mediocre.  Whenever he got bored, Alex would throw a piece of popcorn in Sofia’s hair.  She would respond with throwing a handful in his face.  That shut him down for a little while, but when the lights came up, they saw that they were leaving a mess.  “Awk...”  Alex put a hand on Sofia’s back to lead her out of the theatre.

She tried to turn them around.  “We should clean some of it!”

“No, we should really just leave.”

“You’re awful...” But she gave in anyways, leading them out of the theatre, into the lobby, and then into the sunlight of that June New Jersey day.  They got into his car, but he didn’t turn it on.

“Okay, so I could take you home...”

“Yes, that sounds like the only option.”

“Or you could come with me to this party someone from my school is throwing.”

“Did you run out of ladies singles skaters to take?  Moving on to ice dance?”

He smiled at her.  “You’re awful.”

“I thought we established you were the awful one.”

“We’re both awful.”

“I’m fine with that.  So would you like to come?”

“I’m not really dressed for a party.”  She fingered the fabric of her top.

“Trust me, you’ll look ten times better than most of the girls there.”

She smiled slightly.  “Just let me call my mom.”

“You’re gonna tell your parent where you’re really going?”

“Um, yeah, I have parents that trust me.”  She pulled out her phone.

“Tanith and Charlie trust me, they just--”

“Know your reputation.”

“Do I really have a reputation?”

Sofia just nodded because her mother picked up.  She was able to hang up pretty quickly after a couple ‘be safe’s and ‘don’t forget your curfew’.

“We all good to go?”  Alex turned the keys.

“Yup!”  They left the theatre and he started in the direction of Alpine.

\--

It was dark when they pulled up to a giant (classically Alpine) house.  They got out, and Sofia felt a little self conscious.  She was not really the partying type.  She would go to a ones that friends from her (more low key than Alex’s) school would throw, and they would play Cards Against Humanity, eat bagel bites, and maybe bring out some cheap vodka to mix with fruit punch.  She also wasn’t much of a drinker.  That whole “your body is your future” thing really resonated with her.  Everyone knew that Alex was able to let loose a whole lot more.

They entered the house, and he kept introducing her as his ice dancing partner.   _Why not friend_ , Sofia thought.  He handed her a cold beer in a red Solo cup.   _Expounding on the stereotypes of American youth, aren’t we_ , she thought.  She really needed to stop doing that.  He led her through the house to the backyard where a group of people Sofia vaguely recognized as Alex’s friends were sitting in lawn chairs around a fire.  This was more low key than what was going on inside the house, and she was thankful.  Almost every guy there had a girl sitting on his lap.  She was tempted to say something about the perpetuation of the idea that women were inherently fragile, but she figured it would go right over their heads.  Not Alex’s, but the rest of them.

He gestured for her to sit down in a chair next to him, and she did, falling into silence as she watched everyone else interact.  They talked about how their senior year would be, and she mostly kept her mouth shut.  However, when someone incorrectly quoted Ovid, she had to say something.

“Sofia speaks at last!”  Alex smiled at her.  She took a sip of her drink self consciously.  He leaned towards her.  “Don’t worry, Sof, most of these kids are too drunk to judge you at all.  Enjoy this.”  She stood up and walked to get another drink.

Just then, one of those drunk kids came up and started talking to her.  He was slightly shorter than Alex’s solid 6 feet, and his breath stank of liquor.  He was trying to get out something about how she was pretty and should sleep with him whilst wrapping an arm around her waist.  She was very uncomfortable, trying to slip out of his grasp, and get away.

She felt someone come up behind her and a hand slip into hers.  “There you are, Sofia.  You shouldn’t let other guys put their hands all over you if we’re dating.”

“Ugh, you have a boyfriend?  Slut.”  The drunk guy walked away, and Sofia turned to see Alex.

“I’m really sorry about that.  Alpine boys can be vile.”

“It’s not a huge deal.  Thanks for saving me, I guess.”

“Do you want to go home?”  He was still holding her hand, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand.”

“I’m just now starting to not feel my head, and it feels great, so no.”

“Yeah?”  He smiled at her.  “Is Sofia getting drunk tonight?”

“You know, she just might be.”

\--

Alex lost her again, but then found her dancing with some girls he recognized as having skated at their rink in the past.  She looked great, hair and hips swaying, her shirt riding up slightly to show part of her stomach.  She was laughing at something one of the girls said, and the girl pulled her into a hug.  Drunk Sofia was adorable.  He walked over and pulled her against him, continuing her little dance.

“You found me!”  She squealed.

“I did!  Who knew an Edison girl could dance like this.”  He put his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You did, silly.”  She smiled up at him and cocked her head to the side.  “You look different.”

“Well, you’re a little drunk.”  But your eyes are sparkling, he thought.

“And you’re not?”  She looked disappointed.

“I have to drive you home, silly.”  He mocked her voice.

“Oh, that’s right.”  Her smile came back.  “But you can still dance!”

“I can.”  It was getting a little hot, both figuratively and literally.  She had turned around and her ass had not left his groin.  Also it was Jersey in June.  The heat.  “He leaned down to whisper in her ear.  “You wanna get some air?”

She nodded and he took her hand, leading her outside.  He leaned against the wall, and she did the same, resting her head on his shoulder.  “This year is going to be a lot.”

He wrapped an arm around her and smiled.  “But we have each other.”

She looked up at him, and saw something new.  She got onto her tip toes and brushed her lips with his softy.

“Sof...”

She blushed.  “Sorry, it must have been the--”

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard, tongues dancing.  She moaned slightly into his lips and laced her fingers through his hair.  He moved his hands from her face to her hips, reaching under her shirt and tracing circles up to her breasts.  She jumped when his thumbs brushed her nipples through her bra, but she ended up sinking more into his touch.  He started to kiss down her neck and his hands went lower too, fingering the waistband of her jeans.  He pulled the button between his fingers, and he felt her freeze.

He put his hands on her neck and looked at her.  “Sofia, if you don’t--”

“Can you take me home, please?”  The sparkle in her eye was replaced with a different shine.  One that almost resembled tears.

“Of course.”  He turned from her and started towards his car.  She followed and wrapped her arms around herself, unable to think straight between the alcohol and the adrenaline.  The ride home was silent, but when he pulled up to her house, he tried to speak again.    
“We can just pretend that none of tonight happened.  It wouldn’t be a big deal...”

She silenced him by placing a hand on his cheek.  She leaned across the center consul and kissed him softly.  Without saying a word, she picked up her bag and left the car, walking up to the door and letting herself in.

Alex sat in the driveway for a solid 5 minutes.  He wasn’t drunk, but he might as well have been.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter heads into the direction of adult-town.

Sofia woke up with a kind-of hangover.  She had a headache, and she was very thirsty, but she didn’t feel like death warmed over.  I mean, she didn’t get _that_ drunk.  Only drunk enough to kiss her ice dancing partner, not once, but twice, one of those times resulting in a _very hot_ makeout that could have led somewhere more if she hadn’t frozen up like the ice queen she was.  But she didn’t _want_ it to go anywhere further.  Did she?

All she could think about was his _hands under her shirt_ , and his fingers _popping the button of her jeans_.  She couldn’t tell if she was hopelessly turned on or repulsed.

Her only other sexual encounter had been with a boyfriend when she was 15.  He was also 15.  They thought they were ready.  They were not.  They had sex anyway.  They broke up.  He was kind of a dick anyway.

Sofia threw back the covers and sat up, _too quickly_.  She felt the throbbing in her head intensify, so she slowly got up and walked to her bathroom.  She looked like shit.  Her hair was a tangled mess, and her mascara had run in her sleep.  She opened the cabinet behind her mirror and took out 3 Advil.  The tossed the pills back with a lukewarm glass of water and went to turn on the water for a shower.  Her intention was for the too hot water to release the tension in her shoulders _and_ her mind, but it wasn’t working out that way.  She just kept looking down at little bits of herself and thinking _Alex touched that last night_.  The feeling that came after was unidentifiable, but she thanked whatever deity she had previously denounced that it was a Sunday, and that meant no training.

No training, no Alex.

No Alex, more time to think about Alex.

Shit, it was a never ending cycle.

She sat down in the tub, resting her head against the cool tile as the water pelted her chest and stomach.  This was all so much easier when they were 12 and couldn’t look each other in the eye.  Or when Alex hadn’t figured out that young skating women loved him and his hair and his smile.  Or when she hadn’t drunkenly madeout with him, who was not drunk. Yeah, it was all way easier before any of that happened or changed or royally fucked over her life.

She turned the water off and pulled a towel around her, feeling semi human again.  She dried off and put on a pair of running shorts and a Lululemon tank.  If Meryl Davis had taught her daughter anything, it was that physical activity made you feel better, always.  She felt guilty for wanting physical activity after her shower, but knew that half an hour of stretching and yoga would help clear her mind.  Plus, stretching and yoga didn’t really get one that sweaty.  She picked up her phone for music, but saw that she had a message.  She felt her face heat up.

_Hey.  Hope you’re not feeling too crappy today.  Call me when you have a chance._

Without thinking, she pressed ‘contact’ at the top of the screen and then the little blue phone.  She immediately regretted it when she put the phone to her ear, but he answered before she could hang up.

“Sof?”

“Hi.”  Her voice was tiny.

“Um, do you want to come over?  My mom has costume sketches she wants to show us.”

Your mother could wait and show us tomorrow, she thought.  Her mind screamed no, but “Sure, um, I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Good, because we really should talk.”

“Yeah..."

“Yeah...  Bye, Sof.”

“Bye.”

She hung up and saw that her hand was shaking.  Another thing Meryl Davis taught her daughter is that she had to be her own superhero.  So Sofia straightened her shoulders, picked up her wallet and sunglasses, and ran downstairs, grabbed a granola bar, and quickly told Nick to tell their parents that she was going to the Whites.  She got into her car and blasted her workout playlist, belting out Paramore and Beyonce and Fall Out Boy all the way to Alpine.

She pulled up to the house, and her nerves were back.  She considered turning around, but she saw Olivia’s face peek through a window, and she waved.  No turning back now.  She got out of the car and walked up to the front door.  Before she could even knock, it swung open.  Tanith was standing there, holding back their golden retriever Buddy by his collar.  “Sofia!   I guess Alex told you about my costume ideas.  Come on in!”

She entered the house and scratched Buddy’s head, not wanting to look up and see him.  Tanith led Sofia to her home office, but not before calling up the stair for Alex to come down.  She offered Sofia some water, and she gladly accepted, her mouth still dry from the last night.

She was taking in the impeccable neatness of Tanith’s office when she felt him enter.  She turned to see him wearing basketball shorts and a white tshirt.  He smiled slightly and walked the rest of the way into the room.  She felt her face heat up and was thankful when Tanith finally said something.  She had hooked up the TV screen on one wall to her laptop, and the first slide of what Sofia guessed would be a long power point was set up.  “If you two wouldn’t mind taking a seat.”  She gestured to the two chairs in front of the screen.

She did their short dance first, going on on this long speech about how A Walk In The Forest should mean they were little fairy nymphs covered in foliage.  Or something like that.  Sofia thought the speech was very misleading because the costume sketches were actually beautiful.  Alex’s was a dusty blue-green shirt that had silk golden leaves firmly stitched on.  It was to be paired with black pants, of course.  Sofia’s dress was that same blue-green, naturally form fitting at the torso to a very flow-y skirt.  The golden leaves wrapped around the bodice and over just one shoulder.  It was enchanting.

Sofia didn’t want to stop looking at the costumes, but Tanith changed the slide, beginning her spiel on their Bonnie and Clyde program.  She tuned her coach out, becoming distracted by Alex’s hand resting on the armrest of his chair.  She couldn’t help but think of where that had had been, not just on her, but on lots of other figure skaters and high schoolers and probably beautiful women that were older than high schoolers.  He must have noticed her staring at his hand, because he turned it over, opening up his palm, as if he was inviting her to hold it.  She was tempted to.  The bastard.

She was brought back down to earth when Tanith changed the slide to show their free dance costumes.  Her dress was cranberry and long sleeved.  The neckline would come up to her neck, but there was a keyhole at the chest that showed much skin.  Subtle sparkle was around the keyhole, the sleeves, and the hem of the dress.  It was simple.  She loved it.  Alex’s outfit was just a black shirt and pants.

“We’re really trying to strip it all down, focus on the story and the quality of the program.”

“It’s perfect.  It’s all perfect.”  Sofia stood up and hugged Tanith.

“I love it too, mom.”  He turned to Sofia.  “I have those Lord of The Rings books to give back to you.  Mom, do you mind if we go up to my room?”

“Not at all!”  She smiled.  Why would she have any reason to suspect anything.  Sofia was the one girl she could trust to be alone with her son.

Her stomach was in her throat as she followed him out of the room and up the stairs, going into his room.  It was surprisingly tidy.  His bed was made and there were summer reading books neatly stacked on his desk.  She leaned against the door frame and bit her lip.  He turned around and just looked at her.  “Are you feeling okay?”

“I wasn’t that drunk last night.”  It came out snappier than she had intended.

He put his hands up in defense.  “I wasn’t accusing you.”

“Sorry, I’m kind of stressed out.”  She put her face in her hands.

“About?”

“What do you think?”

He sat down on his bed and gestured for her to sit next to him.  She did.  “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable about anything.  We can forget anything ever happened.”

“I don’t...”

“What?”

“There are certain parts...”  She trailed off again.

“Sofia?”

She turned to head to look at him.  He moved his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek with his fingertips.  She leaned towards him, and he closed in the distance between them, kissing her slowly.  She could feel her resolve crumbling, any reasons she had for not enjoying this... they had all evaporated.  He put his other hand on her hip, lifting her shirt slightly to trace a circle.  It was the same pattern as the night before, but it was more delicate.  He put both hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.  He broke it off and held his forehead against hers.  “Do you want to?”

“Your mother is here.”

“You can just say no.”

She sighed.  “But I want to.”  Every nerve ending in her body was alive.  She had never known the feeling of lust, but here it was.  And she was ready to act on it.

He pulled away and looked at the alarm clock on his night table.  “She actually left 5 minutes ago to take Olivia to gymnastics.  She won’t be back all afternoon.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

He got up from the bed and went out into the hallway that looked down on the downstairs.  “Mom?!”  There was no reply.  He walked back into the room and sat back down next to Sofia.  “Are you sure you want to?”

She answered by grabbing the hem of his shirt and reaching it over his head.  He pulled her flush against him in a passion she hadn’t really seen before.  He kissed her sweetly, but then pulled her shirt off too.  She relished in the way her bare skin felt against his.  He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her harder.  He bit her lip, and she let out a small whimper.  He smiled into their kiss and reached behind her to unclasp her bra.

The thought that he maybe did it too easily crossed her mind, but it melted away when he laid her on his bed and trailed his kissed down her neck and lower, giving each of her breasts equal attention.  She had her fingers laced in his hair and her legs wrapped around his torso.  He nipped and sucked.  She arched her back, never having felt more.

A hand slipped below the waistband of her shorts, and she gasped.  No, now she had never felt more.  He left a kiss below her belly button and he pulled her shorts all the way off.  He came back up to kiss her, and her feet tried to work his shorts off his hips.  He broke off the kiss to look at her.  Her eyes were sparkling again.  “Are you sure?”

She nodded and smiled slightly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is shorter than usual, and it's a mixture of poetry and prose.

**Sofia**

He had taken care of her.  That had been the big thing.  He was constantly asking if she was sure or if she was okay.  She always was.

He took care of her.

He made sure not to leave any marks.  He was gentle.  

But he was also passionate.

If only he could put that much passion into ice dance.

But she didn’t think that for long.

Because he helped her along.

Made sure she finished first.

Brushed the hair off her face and kissed every inch.

Made sure not one part of her was unloved.

He paid attention to the inside of her thighs.

Her elbows.

That spot at the base of her throat.

She didn’t know those places could be special.

He made them special.

He made her special.

He made her feel.

He had taken care of her.

\--

**Alex**

She was precious to him.

Every reaction to something new.

Something she was feeling for the first time.

She dug her fingernails into his skin and ran her fingers through his hair, unable to show just how much she was feeling.

He kept asking for her affirmation.

That she was okay.

Because he didn’t think he could stand for her to not be.

Her reactions to him turned him on more than her kisses.

Not that her kisses weren’t kryptonite.

Because they are.

But every little whimper.

Every small coo.

Every moan or sigh or pant was threatening to push him over the edge.

So he had to be careful.

Because she was precious to him.

He had to make sure she was done first.

So he introduced her to parts of her body she hadn’t met.

And she called out his name.

And that pushed him over the edge.

Because she was precious to him.

\--

Sofia leaned down to pick up her shirt, and she could feel him staring at her ass.  “You’ve seen it naked.  I don’t know what the appeal is.”

“Sofia?”

She stood up and looked at him.  He was still shirtless, just like her, but he had pulled his shorts on.  “Yes?”

“Was that your first orgasm?”

She felt herself blush profusely.  She turned around and pulled her shirt on, trying to hide her face.

“It’s okay if it was.”

_Yeah, because you’ve probably given hundreds of girls their first orgasms_ , she thought.   _Well, maybe not hundreds..._

“Sofia?”

She realized she hadn’t said anything yet.  “Um, I mean, maybe.”  She was still turned around.

“Maybe?”  She could feel him walking towards her, his voice soft.  She felt his fingers lightly run up and down her arm.  He kissed her shoulder.  “Are you sure just maybe?”

“No.”  She could feel her breath getting shallower at his barely there touch.

He moved her hair to the side and started kissing her neck.  “You’re not sure?”  He murmured.

Any chance she had at bending the truth was dissolving with his light kisses.  “It was my first.”  She barely whispered, turning around to kiss him, but he put a hand at her cheek, holding her face a few inches away.

He smiled and kissed her nose.  “You’re cute when you blush.”  He inched his face closer so he could kiss her.  He broke it off to whisper “I’m glad I was your first.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, but she couldn’t get the nagging thought of her mind that he’d been a lot of girls’ firsts.


	6. Chapter 6

Sofia Larisa Elizabeth Chmerkovskiy was fucking Alexander Charles White.

And she was loving it.

For the rest of June and then July, they fell into a very enjoyable pattern.  They got up early and met at the rink to train for at least five hours.  After a lunch that unfortunately involved Tanith, they would find somewhere secluded to have the kind of frantic sex you have when you’ve been touching for the past five hours but unable to kiss or caress.  Those afternoons resulted in Sofia losing more than one pair of underwear.  It was rough.  Alex had been scared, at first, to be as rough as he wanted to be with her, but during one of the first afternoons, when it wasn’t going quickly enough for Sofia, she let out a small “for fuck’s sake” and took control.  Alex wasn’t scared after that.

After their rendezvous, they usually parted ways, but sometimes, if they knew someone’s parents and siblings weren’t home, they would go to either Alpine or Edison.  Alex showed Sofia his mother’s chocolate chip cookie recipe (what teenage boy bakes?!), and Sofia made him listen to Oscar Wilde audio books.  They would watch movies, but it usually ended up with sex.  This sex was different than their afternoon sex.  It was more deliberate.  They tried new things.  Shower?  Sure.  Sofia’s reading chair?  Why not.  His mouth  _down there_?  Um, okay, yeah.  

On weekends, one would make the drive so they could run and work out together. There was also lots of stretching, and they oftentimes got distracted.  It naturally led to more sex.  Weekends also involved Chmerkovskiy/White barbeques.  Maks and Charlie both loved to grill, and Nick loved the pool at the White’s house.  Alex’s 18th birthday just happened to fall on one of these days.  Sofia pranced around the property in a white ruffled bikini that Alex had chosen specifically.  She had texted him earlier to pick his favorite from her collection.  They were able to sneak away for a few minutes, but Sofia wouldn’t go further than second with parents on the property, even on his birthday.  Alex didn’t mind too much, though.  He got to watch her swim and sunbathe, and later that night, when the Chmerkovskiys had left, Sofia called him from her bedroom, offering up a different birthday present, one that he had been wanting for weeks.  She had to bury her face into her pillow to keep from anyone in her house hearing.

Alex and Sofia were just glad no one had found out.  If either Maks or Tanith found out, it would be game over.  Maks, because Sofia was his little girl and Tanith, because they had their careers to think about.  No one was allowed to know.

But their new relationship was undoubtedly helping their careers.  There was a newfound  passion in their programs.  Even when they were just drilling lifts, they were the characters, able to give each and every movement purpose.  Tanith loved it.

They’re perfect pattern was slightly shattered in early August, when their parents booked the flights and hotels for their first ISU Junior Grand Prix qualifier in Courchevel, France.  The idea of leaving their perfect little summery New Jersey bubble was not appealing.  They were both nervous about what would happen, but neither admitted it to the other.  

They hadn’t really talked about their relationship at all.  They did, however, talk about training with Tanith, constantly.  She wanted so badly for their junior international debut to be incredible, ecstatic that they had been picked for the qualifying events in the first place.  Her August plan was intense.  It involved 4 hours of ice time, an hour of cardio, an hour of conditioning, and an hour of flexibility- every single day.  They were both exhausted.  On multiple occasions, Sofia had fallen asleep after what had gone from afternoon sex to evening sex.  Usually all too ready to not let that happen, Alex was too tired to do anything about it, finding comfort, instead, in holding her as her breath evened out.

Their flight to France was a red eye, expounding on the theory that an overnight flight east helped with jet lag.  After a quick family dinner, the Chmerkovskiys left for the airport to meet the Whites. It being their international debut, both of the entire families wanted to be there, and Sofia and Alex were not exactly excited about that.  Getting rid of Tanith was hard enough, but add Charlie, Meryl and Maks to that mix?  Plus siblings?

But some mystic force in the universe was looking down on Alex and Sofia that evening.  When they all went to check their luggage and get boarding passes, the woman at the counter informed them that all but two tickets had been moved to a later flight.  Maks was livid, and Tanith was freaking out.  Meryl was able to calm down her husband and get two free tickets for a future flight.  Alex assured his mother than he and Sofia could definitely fly alone.  They would spend two hours hanging out at Charles de Gaulle before the rest of their family’s arrived.  His main selling points were that he could speak French and that he was 6 feet tall and pretty built, thanks to her training schedule.  The parents approved, and they all got their boarding passes and made their way through security.

Alex and Sofia were wished a tearful farewell, and they boarded their plane.  When they got to their seats, they were pleased to see that the armrest between them could be moved, allowing for more cuddling access.  They decided to let it be for now, though.  Alex sat facing looking at the seat in front of him, but Sofia had pulled out her tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice and was resting her head against the window. 

He grabbed one of her hands and started playing with her fingers.  “Why do you like that book so much?”  He kissed the back of her hand.

She bit her lip but didn’t look up.  “It’s satire, but it still makes you want to fall in love with a Mr. Darcy.”  She put the book down.  “I would probably have a more eloquent answer for you if it wasn’t almost 10.”

“I’m okay with that answer.  What is Mr. Darcy like?”

“Brooding, arrogant, extremely handsome.”  She looked away from him.  “He appreciates intelligence and wit.  He is not in want of a wife.”  She smiled at her little joke that went completely over his head.

“He sounds a little like me.”  Alex lifted the armrest and pulled Sofia closer to him, wrapping an arm around her.  She rested her head on his shoulder and placed a hand on his chest.

“No, you’re not nearly as arrogant as you pretend to be.”  She looked up at him and smiled.  “And you don’t appreciate my wit.”

“Do I not?”  He kissed her nose.

She shrugged.  “You try.”

“And I succeed.”

“That’s what you think.”  She cuddled in closer to him, all too eager to fall asleep and pause this moment forever.

He nudged her awake when they were landing, feeling his heart swell at the sight of her yawning against his chest.  When she had opened her eyes, he tilted her chin up to kiss her, but she turned her head.  “Morning breath,” she whispered.

He turned her head back towards him.  “I don’t care.”  He kissed her, feeling her smile.

When they got off the plane, Sofia insisted on freshening up.  When she got to the bathroom, she was startled.  How could Alex want to kiss her when she looked like this.  She went into a stall to change from running shorts and a tank top to jeans and a tank top (the French were judgey).  She brushed her teeth and tried to do something with her hair, ending up putting it in a ponytail.  It was pretty hopeless.  She splashed water on her face and applied a little concealer and mascara she kept in her purse.  She walked back out where Alex was waiting for her.

“Look how fresh you are!”  He held out his arms.

“I’m a new woman.”  She smiled and took his hand, leading them to baggage claim and then to get breakfast, where they waited on their parents and siblings to arrive.

—

From the airport, they traveled to the train station where they boarded the train to Courchevel.  This time, Alex and Sofia were not as lucky.  They were sat next to each other on the train, but Tanith was on the other side of Sofia, showing them their schedule for the next week.  As soon as they got there, they had about an hour of rink time.  On Wednesday they would watch both mens singles and pairs.  Same thing would happen on Thursday.  Friday would be their short dance day.  Saturday would be free dance.  Sunday is press and the banquet, if they needed press and if they felt like celebrating.  Tanith was confident they would be, but Sofia wasn’t so sure.  The idea that they would be competing against people not in their usual New Jersey or even US circuit was a little nerve wracking.

When Tanith finally ended the debriefing, they still had four hours left on the train.  All Sofia wanted to do was sleep, but she was afraid that upon doing so, her subconscious effort to curl up against Alex would show.  Despite her best efforts to stay up (drinking a Coca Light and reading Pride and Prejudice), her eyelids were just too heavy.  She fell asleep.  Thankfully, even though her head had rested against Alex’s shoulder, he made no move to pull her closer, no matter how much he wanted to.

From the train station, they took several taxis to their hotel.  Because it was August in a ski resort town, Tanith was able to book everyone very nice rooms in the resort closest to the rink.  They were not the only skaters there.

Alex and Sofia were sitting in the lobby while their parents checked in.  A blonde in a very tight dress looked very excited to see Alex.

“Alex White!  Oh my god!”  She squealed.

He stood up and accepted her hug.  “Hey Nicole!”  They broke apart.  “You know my partner, Sofia, right?”

“I don’t, but I’ve heard how you guys have been killing it so far this season.”  She turned to Sofia and gave her the face one would give a toddler.  “Good luck this week!”  She turned back to Alex, put her hands on his shoulders, and got on her tip toes to whisper into his ear.  Sofia could just barely hear her saying “My room is 504,” before she winked and walked away.

Sofia felt her body go numb.  She knew this is who Alex was.  Was?  Is?  It made her sick to think about.  Only two months ago, would Alex have gone to her room?  Would he now?  She felt her palms start to sweat.  There was nothing stopping him from doing so.  They hadn’t defined their relationship.  He could fuck this entire hotel for all she cared.

When he sat back down, he could tell that her mood had changed.  “Sof, are you okay?”

She gave him a curt smile and took out her phone.  “I’m fine.”

—

Their ice time was tense.  Alex could tell something was off, but he couldn’t implore or comfort with his mother present.  Sofia was just trying to push down whatever feelings were trying to bubble to the surface, and it translated into a really stiff skate.  And of course everyone who was anyone was on the ice at that time.  

Afterwards, both families got dinner together.  Sofia sat herself in between Olivia and Nick.  Their mindless chatter kept her from thinking of Alex going to room 504.  He kept giving her a questioning look, and she just kept smiling.  She was the daughter of Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, after all.  She had a fabulous poker face.

After dinner, she changed into Alex’s favorite ruffled bikini and walked to the resort’s indoor pool and spa.  It was completely empty, and she was incredibly thankful.  She lowered herself into the swirling hot water of one of the many jacuzzis and rested her head and arms on the cool tile behind her.  She was close to the point of complete relaxation when she felt someone enter the water.  She opened her eyes and felt the tension return to her body.  Who did he think he was, interrupting her personal time, completely shirtless, and peeling off her bikini top with his eyes.

She felt her face heat up.  “I came down here to get away.”

“From me?”  He raised his eyebrows.  He did not look happy.

She felt herself shrinking.  “Maybe.  How did you know I was here.”

“Your mom told me.”

Sofia nodded and bit her lip.

“Are you mad at me?”

She thought about it.  He hadn’t actually done anything.  She was mad at who he used to be.  Maybe not even used to be.  Maybe still was?  But no, he hadn’t done anything.  “No.”  She saw him relax a little bit.

“Are you stressed?”

She sighed.  “Yeah.”

He scooted around to where she was sitting and put his hands on her shoulders.  He turned her so her back was towards him.  He began massaging her shoulders and upper back.  She hung her head forward and sighed, relaxing into his touch.  When his hands started to get tired, he rested his back against the wall of the hot tub, bringing Sofia with him, so that her back was against his chest.  She brought up his hands to rest on her stomach, holding them there.  “Do you feel better now?”  He kissed her temple.

“Much.”

—

On Wednesday and Thursday, they watched lots of other people skate, including Nicole.  She was really good.  Sofia cursed her under her breath.  During mens singles, they snuck back to the resort and had lots of sex in Alex’s giant, fluffy blanket covered, bed.  Meryl called Sofia frantically after their round 3, afraid that they had been kidnapped by some rival ice dance team.  Sofia told her they went to work out.  And they did, kind of.

But on Friday, they performed A Walk in the Forest.  It was everything Tanith had hoped for, and Sofia felt like she flew over the ice.  After their ending pose, Alex kissed her cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her mouth.  After the kiss and cry, they were in first.  When the last team had skated, they were in third.  Everyone was ecstatic.  Tanith thought that Bonnie and Clyde could put them into first.  Alex and Sofia just kept undressing each other with their eyes.  They excused themselves early from dinner to do just the real thing.

On Saturday morning, Sofia was a nervous wreck.  She couldn’t eat any breakfast, and she had to do her eye makeup twice.  She fell when they practiced their twizzles.  But when they took the ice, Alex grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, saying nothing and everything to calm her down.  They moved into their opening pose and the music started.  She was Bonnie now.  Nothing could touch her.

They were in first again, and out of the last two teams to skate, only one outscored them.  A silver medal for Chmerkovskiy/White.  13 points towards the finals.  Tanith was sure they would be able to get a gold medal in Dresden in October.  After a few interviews and lots of photographs, Alex and Sofia were finally able to get a moment to themselves.

“All those nerves for nothing.”  He pulled her into an empty conference room at their resort, which was also where the interviews were held.

“All those nerves for a silver medal, you mean.”  She smiled at him.

He put his hands on her waist and leaned down to kiss her.  He moved his mouth to her ear.  “And just like that,” he whispered.  “We’re somebody’s.”

—

They slept, in their separate rooms, for most of the next day.  Alex texted her that he would swing by to take her to the banquet at 7, and Sofia saw no reason to leave her family’s three bedroom suite before then.  Meryl helped her get dressed, putting her in a black short sleeve cocktail dress.  The neckline was high, but both the neck and the sleeves were trimmed with black lace, as was the deep V in the back.  The skirt fanned out at her waist and fell a couple inches above her knee.  Her mother put her hair in a classic Davis updo, and she rimmed her eyes with black, leaving an almost nude lip.  Pink-y nude heels and sparkly stud earrings were the finishing touch.

When she opened the door for Alex, he actually looked taken aback.  “Is it too much?”  She felt herself shrinking.  He was wearing chinos, a button up shirt and sports jacket.

“You look stunning.”

The parents were going to come a little later, making sure all the siblings were fed first.  As Sofia and Alex walked to the ballroom of the resort, where the banquet was being held, he laced his fingers with hers.  “What if someone sees?”  Sofia sounded worried.

“The people on the plane saw.”

“But they didn’t know us.  These people know us.”

“Do they, though?”

She stopped right outside the ballroom, making him look at her.  “They know our parents.”

“Touche.”  He let go of her hand.

Their night was, for the most part, fabulous.  They ate with the gold medalists in ice dance (who were from Russia and incredibly cool), their parents, and the other ice dancers parents.  Afterwards, there were speeches, dancing, and lots of photos.  They all had maybe a little too much champagne, but none of the adults cared.  It was legal for Alex to drink, and they weren’t going to stop Sofia if he could.

Towards the end of the night, they had made their way back to their table.  Their parents had already gone off to bed, and Sofia was in a fit of giggles about something to do with Jeremy Abbott and her mother going to prom.  Through her laughter, she felt Alex’s hand come off of hers.  She looked up to see that the very blonde and very tight dress wearing (even in her pairs program.  Like, how??) Nicole had sat herself on Alex’s lap.  She was obviously more tipsy than Alex.  Alex, however, didn’t make a decision like that.  He put his hands on her hips and he told her congratulations.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and whisper yelled “Room 504!”  She hopped off of his lap and sauntered off.  Alex looked after her, smiling.

Sofia picked up her clutch from the table, her stomach turning.  “I’m going to bed.”  She stood up.

“Sofia?”  She walked away and he followed after her.  “That was nothing!”

She turned towards him once she had left the ballroom.  “It doesn’t matter whether it was or it wasn’t!  I’m going to bed.”  There were tears in her eyes.  She blamed the bubbly.

He tried to take her hand, but she took a step back.  “What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

She turned around as a tear fell down her cheek.  She walked towards the elevator, hoping he wouldn’t follow her.  Of course, he did.  She wiped the tears from her face trying to compose herself.  He reached for her hand again, and this time she let him take it.  “Sofia, are we okay?”

She wouldn’t look at him.  “Yeah, we’re fine.”  She let him pull her into a hug, the rise and fall of his chest helping to pull her back towards earth.

But in her head, she just kept repeating  _fine doesn’t feel like this_.


	7. The Lake House Part 1

Straight off of their silver medal in France, both the Whites and the Chmerkovskiys only had one day in New Jersey before they made their annual pilgrimage to Northern Michigan for Labor Day festivities.  In her head, Sofia thanked her parents profusely for booking a different flight from the Whites.  She was having a hard time acting normal around Alex.  She just kept thinking of that blonde who invited him to her room.  She knew he didn’t go, but she wondered if he wanted to or if he would have had she not been there or they hadn’t had to skate the next few days.  Part of her knew that flat out asking him what their relationship was would clear her mind completely.  But she was afraid of his answer.  She kept hearing him go “we’re just fucking, Sof” over and over in her mind.  But then again, she didn’t know if she wanted to be in more than a “just fucking” relationship with him.  

All of this was running through her mind as she got off the plane in Detroit with her family.  Her stomach was in knots at the prospect of spending almost a week with him, but also with their parents, and the idea that as soon as they got home, she would be starting her senior year.

Probably with an ulcer.

She turned on her phone and saw a text from him waiting for her.

_We just arrived at le casa de magical Labor Day weekends (I’m still working on the name).  Anyways, I’ve already brainstored ways we can escape the families and have some alone time.  I hope you’re not above drugging your grandparents ;)  Hope you’re having a good flight._

She smiled before remembering that she didn’t think she could be alone with him without shouting “Did you fuck Nicole in the past, and do you want to again?!” or “Are you my boyfriend?!  I’m not even sure if I want you to be, but I do want to know if you are.”

She was a mess.

She wasn’t going to reply, but then Meryl asked her to please text Alex to tell his parents that their flight had landed safely.  And, well, she said please…

_It was an okay flight.  Missed having you there next to me ;)  My mom would like me to tell you to tell your parents that we’ve landed safely.  We should be there around dinner time. xoxo_

Oh, she was horrible.

He replied almost instantly.  _Hm, what would you have done if we had been the only two people on that plane?_

Oh, no.  

Yes, he was confusing her and making her stomach go in knots, but, wow, the idea of empty airplane sex did turn her on.

_I’m about to get into a car with my family PLUS the grandparents.  Are you sure you want to go there?_

Again with the instantaneous reply.   _I’m playing Uno with my grandparents PLUS both sisters, so yeah.  I’m sure._

She was about to type back when she heard it.  “Sofia, oh my goodness, look at you!”

Cheryl was the epitome of an American grandmother.  She baked and was always taking pictures.  She liked to pinch cheeks and and she said things like “give me some sugar.”  Meryl swore this was not her mother, that Cheryl had undergone a transformation the minute Sofia was born.  But she was Sofia’s grandmother.

“Do I really look that much different from the last time you saw me?”  She hugged her grandmother.

“Well, you’re an international silver medalist now!”  She moved on to Nick and then Meryl and Maks.

Sofia hugged her grandfather and then helped everyone load up luggage into the car.  They all piled in and began the four hour drive to Charlevoix.  Sofia texted Alex the entire time.  She wasn’t freaking out when she was just chatting with him, like they would do before all the sex happened.  Maybe that’s what their relationship was supposed to be?  No sex, just chatting.

They pulled up to the house and Charlie Sr. (Uncle Charlie to Sofia and Nick as opposed to what they called Charlie Jr.- Charlie) opened the door, letting Buddy (who had ridden in the cargo area of the plane, poor thing) run out to greet them.  After getting out of the car, Sofia bent down to pet him.  He put his paws on her oversized UofM sweatshirt and licked her face.  “Someone’s happy to see you.”  Alex walked passed her to help unload the car.

She stood up and turned to face him as he walked passed again with a suitcase.  “Is he the only one?”  She smiled.

He put a hand on her shoulder and checked around him to make sure no one was looking.  “Nope.”  He leaned in for a quick kiss before heading inside with the luggage.

Yeah, chatting definitely made her feel better.

She went to grab a suitcase and made her way up the stairs to the porch and into the house.  This was her parent’s third property (bought together with the Davises, the elder Whites, and the younger Whites), and it was her favorite.  Their home in New Jersey was almost too traditional, and the condo in LA was very very LA.  The Michigan lake house was huge.  Eight bedrooms, with a wrap around porch that was screened in in the back.  It looked out to the expansive backyard and lake, where there was a small private beach, a sauna, a patio, and a dock.  It was almost excessive, but with 12 people usually staying there at a time, it was just right.

And it was her home away from home.

She took her suitcase into her bedroom and made her way into the kitchen where Tanith and Jacqui were making dinner.  “Sofia!”  There were hugs all around, and she was quickly put to work scrubbing potatoes.  The rest of the group (Meryl, Maks, Nick, Cheryl, Paul, Alex, Katie, Olivia, and Charlie— if you’re wondering) soon entered the kitchen as well.  All the adults were enjoying a cold beer, and the kids were helping with the meal.  Sofia was relieved from potato duty (which had changed from scrubbing to chopping the now boiled potatoes) to help Olivia set the table, which mostly entailed coming behind her and putting the napkins on the correct side of the placemat.

“I’m really glad that you and Alex won that thing.”

“Thanks, Livy.”  She picked up a napkin.  Damn, this girl could not get it right.

“He’s been much nicer this past month.”

That made Sofia stop what she was doing.  “Really?”  They both looked up when the heard a chorus of laughter from the kitchen.

“Yeah, and he doesn’t bring as many girls over anymore.”

“As many?”  The knots in her stomach were forming again.

“Well, he only brings you.”

“Oh,” she exhaled.  “Livy, the napkins go on the left side, remember?”  Sofia held up her fingers in L’s.

“I remember, but I forget which is left.”

She was nine years old.  Really?

“Olivia, come get these things to bring to the table!”  Tanith called from the kitchen.  They both walked back and Olivia picked up bowls of potato salad and steamed broccoli.  Sofia grabbed the platter of pulled pork.  Alex followed them with a stack of plates.  Sofia took her time to put the platter down, so when she turned back around, Olivia had gone back into the kitchen.  

Alex had a smirk on his face.  He grabbed her waist and pulled them out of view from the kitchen.  He kissed her, and she felt any apprehensions melt away.  “Are you sure you want to kiss me in my travel clothes?”  She broke it off and looked down at her ratty UofM sweatshirt and Nike shorts.

He smiled slightly.  “I would kiss you in anything.”  And he did.

“Oh my god.”

They broke off their kiss immediately.

It was Katie.  She looked shocked.  Alex took a step toward her, and she put her arms up in defense.  “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”  She put down the baked beans she was carrying on the table.  “But, jeesh, get a room next time.”

She went back into the kitchen and Alex turned to look at Sofia, who had a completely startled look on her face.  “Don’t freak out.”  He reached out for her.

“I’m kind of freaking out!”  She put her hand in his.

“Katie is trustworthy.”

“Okay, but no more kissing in family places.”

He nodded.  “This week could be really hard.”

“Oh, please, like you haven’t snuck around much tighter places.”

“You really like to mention my reputation.”  He smiled.

She rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen.   _Yeah, because it literally haunts me 24/7._

The dinner was full of lots of conversation and very good food.  Both Alex and Sofia had to talk about senior year plans to every grandparent, more than once.  Everyone toasted their silver medal.  When Alex brushed his hand against Sofia’s while passing her the potato salad, Katie gave them a look.  So, naturally, Alex threw a piece of broccoli at her.  Tanith made a remark about how her nine year old was better behaved than her child that was a legal adult.  Nick talked to anyone who would listen about Harry Potter.  Maks talked business with Paul.  Meryl related with The Moms about being a figure skating mother.  It was all very loud and very exhausting.

After the meal had ended, and the kitchen had been cleaned up, Sofia excused herself from the house, making her way down to the beach with a copy of The Sun Also Rises.  It was a Hemingway kind of evening.  She was curled up in a lawn chair, enjoying the last usable sunlight, when she saw him streak passed her.  He leaped onto the dock, tore off his tshirt, and canonballed into the water.  She stood up when she saw his head surface.  “It’s literally only 65 degrees out here!”  She called out.

“I don’t care!”  He was beaming.  She sat down and tried to get back into her book, but she saw him get out of the water and towel off.  He walked back down the dock and hopped onto the grass, making his way over to her.  “Okay, now I’m cold.”

She bit her lip and stared at the page.  “Well you’re not using me to get warm.”

“Yes, I am.”  He picked her up from the chair and cradled her to his chest.

“Hey!”  She tried to squirm away, but he held her there.  “You’re all wet!”

He sat down in the chair with her in his lap.  “You’ll survive.”

“Ugh, not fair.”  But she cuddled into his bare chest anyways.  “No one can see us, right?”

“We’re hidden.”  He tilted her face up to kiss him, and she felt his hand go under her sweatshirt.

“We’re not having sex in a lawn chair,” she spoke when his lips traveled down her neck.

“Live a little,” he murmured.

“Alex, seriously.”

He sighed.  “Fine, but now you have to read to me.”

“Read to you?”

“Read,” he looked at the cover of her book.  “ _The Sun Also Rises_  to me.”

“Um, if you say so.”  She picked up where she left off, describing the streets of Pamplona and bull fights.  She felt him staring at her the entire time, and she felt whole.


	8. The Lake House Part 2

They walked back up to the house hand in hand, going through the porch to the empty kitchen.  It was almost eleven, after all.  They had spent almost two hours in that chair together.  After a goodnight kiss (makeout) against a kitchen counter, Alex went to bed, leaving Sofia alone in the kitchen.  She put the kettle on the stove for some tea and picked up her book, sitting at the island in the middle of the room.  

“Hey, you.”  Sofia looked up to see her mother, wearing leggings and a tank top as PJ’s.  At 46 years old, she was just as beautiful as she was at 27.  Her hair was still a rich brown, but it hung at her shoulders instead of her waist.  Her body had softened, but she was still very athletic looking.  There were lines around her eyes, but they just made them sparkle more.  “You’re father wanted some juice, but he can wait.  Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.  There should be enough water in there for two.”  Sofia put her book down.

Meryl grabbed two mugs from a cabinet and pulled out two tea bags from a box on the counter.  “I see that you got wet.  Sleepy time tea okay?”

“Sleepy time is good.  Um, yeah, Alex splashed me.”  She felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

“At eleven in the evening?”  She sat down next to her daughter.

“It was really humid out there.  Nothing would be able to dry in a timely fashion.”  The truth was that, when you’re pressed up against someone who is wearing a wet bathing suit, you get wet, and when you continue to be pressed against him, nothing can dry.  Her UofM sweatshirt was damp at the bottom.

“You’ve just now come inside?”

“Yeah.”  At least that part wasn’t a lie.

“Did Alex come in with you?”

“Does this interrogation have a point?”  The kettle started to whistle, and Meryl got up to pour the water into their mugs.

“You two seem different around each other, that’s all.”  She brought the mugs back to the island.

“Different how?”  Sofia stared at the water as it turned that classic sleepy time color.

“It seems like you like each other.”

“We have to spend every waking minute with each other.  We better like each other.”

“Sofia, you know what I mean.”

She sighed.  “Mom?”

“Yes, baby.”

“You have to promise not to tell dad.”

“Oh boy.”

“Or Tanith.”

“Sofia…”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

Sofia took a sip from her too hot tea.  “So, we’re kind of seeing each other outside of training.”

“Seeing each other how?  Have you gone on dates?”

“No.”

“Have you… kissed?”

Sofia took her time to answer.  “Yes.”

“Have you done more than kiss?”

“I really don’t want to talk about this part.”  She put her face in her hands.

Meryl rubbed her back.  “Okay, okay.  Has he done anything to hurt you?”

“Not yet,” Sofia spoke into her hands.

“Not yet?”

She looked at her mother.  “Oh, come on, mom.  You compared him to Fedor.”

“I didn’t know you knew who Fedor was.”

She rolled her eyes.  “I mean, he was hot.  Props to you.”  She thought for a second.  “And Tanith.”

“Moving on,” Meryl smiled.  “So, in summary, you haven’t been on a date, and you’re afraid he’s going to sleep with the entire Northern New Jersey Skating Club.”

“Bingo.”  Sofia took another sip of tea.  “And I think he might already have.”

“Please, his reputation is five times his size.  But you should talk to him.”

“Or I could not.”

“Sofia…”

“It was all going great until this girl in France came on to him, and I started thinking well what if he wanted to go to her room, but that I couldn’t stop him because we might just be friends with benefits, I don’t know.”  She took a sip of tea.  “Oh, and senior year is about to start, I have to apply to college, Tanith thinks we’re going to win the Grand Prix Final, and dad thinks I’m five years old.”

“I will talk to dad, you can win the Grand Prix Final, you will get into college, and you will rock AP Latin in your senior year.”  Her hand was rubbing soothing circles on her daughter’s back.  “And you need to talk to Alex.”

“Thanks, mom.”  She got off her stool and went to hug her mother.

“I love you, baby.”  She kissed her hair.

“I love you too.”

—

The next day was gorgeous outside.  The families spent it at the lake and on the boat.  Katie tried to teach Nick how to sail, Alex drove the boat with Olivia on the inner tube, Sofia mostly practiced her dives and worked on her tan.  The grandparents sat at the patio with lemonade, while the parents sometimes ventured into the water.  Things were heating up between Meryl and Maks while splashing on the beach, so they had to take a little break from the group after lunch.  Sofia and Alex were able to sneak away as everyone was heading inside to change for dinner, enjoying a very very hot makeout at the shower on the side of the house before they heard Olivia approaching, coming to clean the sand off her beach tools.  They both went to bed very sexually unsatisfied.

Because of that, Sofia woke up grumpy, and the mood outside reflected that.  It was pouring, and according to the weather forecast, it wasn’t supposed to stop raining all day.  With encouragement from Olivia, the adults decided the best way to pass the time was to go into town to see a movie.  Sofia decided to opt out, waiting until she heard the garage door close for the last time to finally come out of her room.  She walked into the kitchen with a book and the intention to make a sandwich, when she saw him.  He was standing shirtless, with his back facing her, using the last pieces of turkey for his sandwich.

She froze.  “I thought I was home alone.”

He turned to look at her.  “I thought  _I_ was home alone.”

“Um, Alex.”  She put her book down.

“Sofia?”  He was just staring at her.

“ _We_ are home alone.”

“We are home alone.”  He took two step towards her and filled in the distance between them, putting a hand in her hair and kissing her hard.  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and sat her on the island, lifting her shirt over her head.  He started to trail kisses down her neck as his hands played with her breasts over her sports bra.

She whispered into his hair.  “We really can’t do it here.”

He lifted his head up and gave her a sad puppy look.  “What?”

“We eat here.  Can we go to my bedroom?  Or the shower?”

He nodded.  “Shower.”  He practically raced her there, and they both hopped in, still semi-clothed.  She turned the water on, and he grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up so that her back was against the shower wall.  “I missed you so much,” he whispered, lips only millimeters away from hers.

She felt her mind go fuzzy.  “It’s only been 4 days since we last…”  She couldn’t focus with him that close.

“Too long,” he murmured before kissing her again.  This time his hand went under her now soaked sports bra.  She moved a hand down to the waistband of his shorts.  You’re not the only one who knows how to tease.  Her hand slipped below, and he shuddered at her touch.  He set her down to help them get their shorts and underwear off faster.  He reached into the pocket of his shorts for a condom.  “You’re getting very good at this.”

She felt insecurities sneaking into her mind.  “Was I not before?”

He saw them.  “Oh, baby.”  He smiled and pulled her wet body flush against his.  He he moved the hair that was sticking to her face back and kissed her slowly.  “Oh, baby baby baby.”  He lifted her body against the cool tile and thrust into her.  “You so were.”

—

Afterwards, they both dried off, and she put on a pair of leggings and one of his shirts.  It smelled fabulous.  She curled up on the couch in the living room with a blanket wrapped around her while he went to go make that sandwich she had wanted earlier.

“You are adorable.”  He stood in the doorway with two plates in his hands.  She had her head rested against her shoulder with a dumb smile on her face.

She looked over to him, still smiling.  “Because I smile for no reason?”

“Among other things.”  He put the plates on the coffee table and sat on the couch, pulling her against him.

“I’m happy.”

He kissed her hair.  “I’m happy too.”

All of the sudden, Meryl’s voice entered her daughter’s mind, telling her to talk to him.  “Hey, Alex?”

“Hey, Sofia.”

She was about to speak again, but the his voice in her head just kept saying “we’re just fucking, Sof.”  So she kept quiet.

“You were going to say something?”  His fingers were tracing patterns on her stomach under her shirt.

“Nevermind.”  But she stopped smiling, her mind playing pictures of him tangled up with the blonde who shall not be named.


	9. The Lake House Part 3

Their time in Michigan was speeding by.  After their rainy day (and Alex and Sofia’s subsequent rainy day sex), they spent most of their time outdoors, taking in the last days of summer.  Sofia’s tan lines were getting more pronounced, and everyone had that hazy glow of vacation around them.  On the last full day at the lake house, Charlie had offered an afternoon boat ride that Sofia and Alex had strategically opted out of.  They were in his bed, basking in the aftermath of their lovemaking.  They were facing each other, Sofia’s fingertips tracing the lines of his face.  “You are beautiful,” she barely whispered.

He inched his face forward and kissed her nose.  “No, I think that title belongs to you.”

She smiled and pressed their foreheads together.  “What if we could just pause this moment forever?”

“I would be very happy.”  He ran his hand up and down her side.  “Come closer.”  She turned onto her other side and he wrapped an arm around her to pull her back against him, breathing through her hair.  His hand spread out against the plane of her stomach, and she held it there.  She jumped a little when his phone vibrated with a text.  “Would you hand me that?  It might be Katie telling us they’re about to walk through the door.”

Sofia grabbed the phone and looked at the screen.  It was not Katie.

_Nicole <3_

_I mean, I don’t think she’s that cute, but if that’s your type…_

Her mind froze after she handed the phone back to him.  She unwrapped his arm from around her and got out of bed.  He gave her a look, but then he saw the message.  She silently picked up her clothes off his floor.  “Sofia, come back.  It’s not what you think.”

“It doesn’t matter.”  She walked out of his room and into hers.  She closed the door behind her and sunk to the ground, feeling the weight of insecurities finally overcome her.  The tears fell.  She realized that she had picked up his shirt instead of her own, and she cried into it.  She heard him come up behind the door, but he heard her crying, and she guessed that’s what made him walk away.

—

Dinner that night, one last barbeque blowout, was tense for her.  She was wearing her UofM sweatshirt and running shorts.  Her mother kept looking at her funny, but she would only make eye contact with her father or grandparents.  They were completely unexpected.  Alex kept trying to catch her eye, but she pretended he wasn’t there.  She really pretended no one was there.  Something in her told her this is what heartbreak felt like, but she didn’t want to give Alex the satisfaction.

After dinner, they lit a fire on the beach.  Everyone was roasting marshmallows and Olivia kept getting angry that hers were burning.  Sofia was standing behind her father’s chair when he finally noticed that something wasn’t alright.  He held her hand and asked if she wanted to go for a walk.  She said yes.  They didn’t talk, but just having him there was a comfort.  When she was little, she always felt so protected by him.  To Sofia, he could save the world.  The only place he couldn’t watch after her directly was the ice.  That’s why it was where she had her first adrenaline rush, and that’s why she kept going back.

They ended up in the living room of the empty house.  They sat on the sofa, and she cuddled up against him, letting him stroke her hair, just like he would do when she was little.  “You know,” he kissed her head.  “When you were little, you never cried.”  She could hear him smiling.  “You were the biggest drama queen, but you never cried.  Have you been crying tonight?”

“Yes.”  She could never lie to him.

“Whatever it is, and I won’t ask you what it is, you are strong.  Look at the people in your family.  The woman you were named after: strong.  My mama: strong.  Your mama: so strong.  Sofia,” he kissed her head again.  “You are so strong, and I love you.”

She was crying again, and he could feel it through his shirt.  “I love you too, papa.

—

Meryl had silently come by her room at bedtime with some melatonin.  Sofia took the pills and climbed into bed.  Her mother sat on the edge and rubbed her back soothingly.  She kissed her forehead and left before Sofia had fallen asleep, but she did feel much better because of it.  She was about to let sleep take her when she saw her phone light up on her night table.  She picked it up, and her stomach dropped.

_Reminder that I want to kiss you in your travel clothes._

She was about to turn it off and try to sleep when another message popped up.

_And that we’re somebodies together._

She felt the tears that she thought were gone prick at her eyes.

_And of our first time together._

_And of our latest time together, until that crazy girl ruined it._

_Wait, let’s not remember that._

_Sorry._

_But remember that I want to kiss you in your travel clothes._

_Sofia._

_I’m sorry._

_Please forgive me._

She wiped the tears from her eyes and powered off her phone.  She could forgive him.  She didn’t know the circumstances of that text.  But it was the whole idea of him as someone who received texts from girls with hearts by their names.  Her name didn’t have hearts by it in his phone.  But she wasn’t jealous.  It was all so cloudy.  But also so severe.  What she was feeling.  It was all so severe.  

She climbed out of her bed and opened the door, walking down the hall, past his room, to her parent’s.  She opened the door, and Meryl sat up.  “Sofia?”

“Can I sleep in here tonight?”

“Of course, baby.”  She patted the space between her and her husband.  Sofia climbed in.  Meryl held her hand, and Maks stroked her hair.  Nothing could hurt her here.


	10. Chapter 10

She walked off the plane from Michigan and right into her senior year. Her schedule was waiting for her on the counter when she got home. Honors economics, AP Lit, astronomy, AP Latin, lunch, AP European history (for her mother), statistics, and AP comparative government. She opted out of study hall to take another AP class. She was that type of student.

In the one day she had before school started, she kept from thinking by organizing binders and going over her summer work. She re-read Always I Am Caesar in four hours just because she it was something that happened before he did.

She helped her father make dinner, rolling out homemade pizza dough and letting her UofM sweatshirt get copious amounts of flour on it. During dinner, Sofia ate a piece of pizza just for show, not actually having an appetite for over 36 hours now. After the meal, Meryl walked upstairs with her.

"What are you going to wear tomorrow?"

"Um, this." She looked down at her flour covered hoodie and jeans.

"Sofia…"

Meryl helped her pick out a pale pink sundress to be worn with sandals and a drape-y necklace. Sofia wasn’t too excited about it, but Meryl kept going on and on about soaking up the last few warm days or something. Before she left her daughter’s room, she put a light jacket on top of the outfit. “Just to be safe.”

Sofia pulled off her clothes and turned the shower on, trying to let her numbness be washed down the drain with her body wash and flour that had ended up in her hair. She dried off and put on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt that may or may not have used to belong to a certain blond antagonist in her life. She realized she had started her period. Of course.

It was only nine o’clock, but she got into bed anyways, shoving earphones on and playing the first thing on her iPod.

Bonnie and Clyde.

Skip or naw.

But it reminded her that she’d see him for training tomorrow after school. And he’d have to touch her. And almost kiss her. And she’d just have to deal with it.

Because Dresden was in October.

Freaking Dresden.

She took the earphones out and got out of bed. She walked down the hallway to her parents’ room and knocked on the door. Her father answered shirtless, and Sofia tried not to think about it.

"Could I have some melatonin, please?"

"First day jitters?" He let her in the room where she saw her mother laying on the bed in only a nighty. I mean, why else would they go to bed at nine.

“‘Jitters’ sounds really weird with your accent.” She walked to her parent’s bathroom and opened the drawer where all the medicine was. There was still a bottle of children’s Motrin in there. Something about wishing babies were still babies. Sofia picked up the bottle of pills and took two out.

"Well, ‘babushka’ sounds weird with your accent."

Sofia took the pills at their sink and went to hug her father. “I love you, daddy.”

"Goodnight, my little princess."

She walked over to the bed and and her mother sat up. “Is it embarrassing that I want to cry because my baby is a senior?”

"It’s okay." She hugged her mother. "Love you, mom."

"Love you too, baby."

—

At school, her friends wanted to see pictures of France. She only had a few because she was either fucking or skating with Alex most of the time. She was invited to a John Hughes movie marathon on Saturday night, and she readily accepted. It was all a blur of course plans and “how was your summer?!“‘s. Her Latin teacher’s wife had had a second baby over the summer, and he looked how she felt. In her head, she sympathized with him. Before she knew it, the bell rang to go home, and she got into her car and started the drive to the rink.

At a stoplight she checked her phone. One message. From Tanith:

Hope your first day went well! Can’t wait to keep training!

She had heard nothing from him since they left Michigan. He had kept trying to get her alone, and she kept avoiding him. He finally stopped when Meryl gave him a look. An ‘I’m about to tell Maks if you don’t stop’ look. It worked. They left in peace.

She pulled into the lot and headed straight for the locker room. But not before quickly scanning the parking lot. His car was not there yet. She changed from her dress to a pair of thick leggings and a tank top, pulling on a Running jacket as well. She laced up her skates and made her way to the ice, all to eager to skate her troubles away before he arrived.

She took to the ice and warmed up it felt great. She thought about how much easier her life would be if she was a ladies singles skater. Her first coach said she was too much of a performer for that, and she was. The insecure girl at school was nothing of the sort on the ice.

She felt him get on the ice.

But Tanith was soon to follow.

She wouldn’t look him in the eye.

Forehead, chin, chest, hands. Anything but the eyes.

Tanith made a joke about Meryl and Charlie and stickers or something. The mother was oblivious.

The drilled lifts, and his fingers grazed her hips in between. She tried not to notice, but it gave her goosebumps.

They didn’t speak.

They left.

She got in the car and felt like crying again, so she blasted Taylor Swift and sped out of the lot.

Once at home, she put on a happy face for dinner, but took it off again as soon as she left the room.

As she climbed into bed, the realization hit her that unless she wanted to switch partners and, well, families, she would not be seeing any less of him this entire year.

So, she made a pact with herself.

To move on.

—

His name was Will, and he also took AP Latin. He was smart. He was cute enough. That sort of skinny, ironic t-shirt wearing cute. He had brown hair and eyes. He was kind of a know it all.

But so was Sofia.

She invited him to the John Hughes movie marathon.

He said yes.

And then preceding to spout of some shit about how The Breakfast Club and The Odessy both displayed the classic hero archetypes in their purest form.

She really didn’t care.

Training on Tuesday was much the same as Monday. And then Wednesday. And then Thursday and Friday.

She cried afterwards.

She kept waiting for him to do something, and he never did. He was also not responding to anything she did. Hold their almost kiss for a beat longer? Nothing. Held his hand in between drills? Nada. She wouldn’t look him in the eye, but the things she did do, he wouldn’t react to. It was completely unlike him. He was so socially aggressive, usually. It offset her more reserved personality.

But not this week.

When Saturday came around, she got up early. Meryl was doing yoga on the back porch and Sofia joined her. They enjoyed a cup of coffee in silence, watching the early morning sun on the land behind the house. When Nick woke up, also on the early side, Sofia volunteered to make pancakes.

The siblings flung batter on each other as Meryl sat at the breakfast table, sipping her coffee and just smiling. It was the first real fun Sofia had had since she was at the lake. Maks came downstairs looking grumpy because of the noise, but when he saw his daughter giggling and wrestling a whisk out if his son’s hands, he couldn’t help but to smile.

He turned on some happy music and took over the pancake making, telling his children to go wash the batter off their faces and clothes. Sofia ran upstairs to get dressed, and she felt lighter.

She picked out clothes in anticipation for the kind-of-party that night, throwing on a pair of jeans and a black jersey long sleeved t-shirt. Her mother would roll her eyes, but if she wasn’t planning on leaving the house that day, it would have been sweats. She put her hair into a ponytail and walked back downstairs. Maks was serving pancakes, so she sat down at the table. She took a bite and realized that she was getting over Alex. It was a good hurt.

She spent the rest of the day doing homework and watching America’s Next Top Model with her mom while Meryl graded papers.

When it was time for her to go to her friend’s, she put on some mascara and grabbed her purse. She kissed her parents goodbye and got into her car.

There were a handful of people in a living room, eating bagel bites and drinking vodka with fruit punch. It was her kind of party. She sat next to her friend Morgan. “Finish my drink.”

"I’m not really in the mood." She watched someone put Sixteen Candles into the Bluray player.

"Sof, you need a drink."

She sighed. “I need a drink.”

Will walked in and sat down on her other side. As Molly Ringwald fell in love, he put his arm around Sofia’s shoulder. She tried leaning into him, but he was bony. And he kept talking during the movie. Not funny slightly turnt talking, but completely sober boring talking. Morgan threw a bagel bite at his head.

As the credits rolled, everyone got up to readjust and stretch. Sofia was making herself a drink when she felt the vibe in the room change. Morgan elbowed her side, not too subtlety getting Sofia to look at the door to the room.

Alex White had walked in with a friend of the friends who we’re hosting the get together.

Sofia looked down in her cup. Morgan grabbed her hand and led her into a hallway as Alex entered the room. “You didn’t tell me everything about your time in France, did you.” It wasn’t a question.

"Can I call you later? I need to go."

"Yeah, girl. Are you good to drive?"

Her head felt cloudy, but she waved it away. “I’m good.”

"Kay, quick hug." She took Sofia into her arms before watching her walk outside the house.

Alex was leaning against her car. He must have left as soon as she did. “I need to talk to you.”

"You could have talked to me all week." She tried to get around him to open the car door, but when her hand went under his back for the handle, her skin burned. He moved out of the way, though.

"Uh, no, I really couldn’t. With my mom there?"

She opened the car door. She got in and tried to close it, but he held it open. “I just need two minutes, Sofia.”

It was the way he said her name and the alcohol in her blood. She got out of the car and closed the door. She leaned where he used to be. “Two minutes.”

He nodded and stood to face her. He visibly took a deep breath before beginning. “I met Nicole at a camp two years ago. We hooked up.” He looked pained and Sofia wondered how many acting lessons he’d been to. “It was over before it started. France was the first time I saw her since then. My mom obliviously gave her my number. She could tell what was going on between us, and she wasn’t happy about it. I’m sorry I didn’t set her straight.”

Sofia sighed, and she felt a tear run down her cheek. “What was going on between us?”

"Sofia!" He grabbed her hand, but she yanked it away. "I wanted to be with you all the time. How is that confusing?!"

"Because everyone compares you to Fedor-freaking-Andreev, that’s why!" She was yelling.

He rubbed his hands on his face. This time, angry Sofia was not cute or funny. She was hurting and so was he. His voice was calm now. “I don’t want to be that guy with you.”

"What?"

"I want to be myself with you." He winced at the slightly cheesy words.

"Alex…"

"I understand if you want a purely physical or no strings attached relationship, but I don’t think you do."

"I don’t." Her voice was minuscule.

He took her hand. “That’s what I thought.” He smiled slightly.

"So, where do we go from here?"


	11. Chapter 11

"So, where do we go from here?"

He let go of her hand to grab her waist, pulling her flush against him. She knew where to go. Their lips crashed together, and she felt her head go cloudy, a mix of alcohol and adrenaline.

One week.

That’s all it had been since they had been together.

One week, and he could turn her to mush.

When his hand went under her shirt, she felt her mind clear. “Alex…” He was kissing her neck. She was tempted to let the desire take her, but she knew it wouldn’t be for the best. “Alex.”

He picked his head up to look at her. “I love hearing what you have to say, but not now, please.” He leaned in for another kiss, and she gave him her cheek.

"This is how it started last time."

"What?" His lips were not on her, but his hand was still under her shirt.

"Let’s make it real this time." Her eyes were big, and her mouth was resting in a half open ‘O’. He was so tempted to kiss her after she said that.

"Real how?" His voice was low.

She bit her lip. “Well, first of all, I’m not completely sober. I can’t think.”

"Yeah," he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Let me take you home. We can talk tomorrow."

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “I really missed you.”

He kissed her temple. “I really missed you too.”

One week.

They got into the car, and she was thankful that she owned a truck with a bench seat in the front. She scooted over to rest her head against his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling out of the driveway one handed. “How will you get home?” Her worlds were a little slurred.

"A friend will be there to pick me up."

"When did you arrange that?" Insecurity creeped into her voice.

"I texted before I got into the car just now. You need to be able to trust me."

"I let you lift me above your head on an almost daily basis. I trust you." She yawned.

He pursed his lips and tried to believe her. “Sof, if we’re going to make it real, we have to be honest.”

"Hm?" She sounded like she was about to fall asleep.

"Nothing." He kissed her hair.

—

Sofia woke up the next morning feeling very timid, a word and feeling that was banned from the Chmerkovskiy-Davis household. She showered, and tried not to think, to just be. When she checked her phone, she had a text.

Do you want to go see a talking animal movie tonight after training?

She replied with a small smile:

Did you really just ask me out over text?

I’m a monster, I’m aware. Talking animal movie or naw.

Talking animal movie. And I’m telling my parents.

Her phone started ringing. “Hello?”

"Sofia, you will not." He was smiling.

"Um, I will."

"Maks will kill me.

"He’s known you too long to do that. Also, I’m just going to tell them that we’re going to a movie. They can choose whether or not to put two and two together."

"Fine. Go get dressed. We have to be at the rink in an hour and a half."

"How do you know I’m not dressed?"

"I took a chance. You would live in pajamas if you could."

It was true. “Okay, see you in a bit.”

"Goodbye, Sofia."

She got butterflies when he said her name. She hung up he phone and went in search of decent work out clothes to wear. She settled on thick black leggings and a flow-y pink cotton tank top. She grabbed a jacket and her bag, pulling on a pair of Nike running shoes. She looked over herself in the mirror, sighing. This was a skating outfit, not a date outfit.

She grabbed her makeup bag, a pair of jeans, some flats, and a light pullover sweater and folded them into her bag. She made her way downstairs where Nick was eating breakfast, Meryl was drinking coffee at the table, and Maks was doing dishes. “There’s a protein bar and a smoothie on the counter for you.” Meryl looked up from her book and smiled. “You look happy today, Sofia.”

"I feel good." She put the bar in her bag and took a sip of her smoothie. "Can I see a movie with Alex later tonight?"

Meryl gave her a knowing look. There was a sparkle in her eye. “I don’t see why not.”

"Just remember your curfew and come give me a kiss." Maks twisted away from the sink to offer his cheek to Sofia. She did as she was told and was out the door. Her father didn’t suspect anything, yet.

—

Offhandedly, Sofia mentioned their movie plans to Tanith. Of course, she was oblivious, so Sofia made her way to the locker room hopeful that she would stay that way for a little while, at least.

She changed into her more date appropriate outfit and looked in the mirror. A little makeup was in order. She smudged some eyeliner into her lash line and added mascara. She brushed on a little color to her cheeks and called it a day. She left her hair down.

When she left the locker room, it was obvious that Alex had planned ahead as well. He had put on a pair of jeans and a different t-shirt than the one he’d practiced in. “Well, would you look at us.” Tanith had already left, so Alex took Sofia’s hand, leading her out of the building, not making eye contact with any of the people giving them questioning stares.

Sofia felt a blush creep into her cheeks, but she ignored it. This is what she wanted.

—

After the movie, he took her back to the parking lot of the rink where her car was. He kissed her sweetly as she leaned against the door of the passenger side. “I would walk you in, but…” He smiled against her lips.

She opened the door behind her and fell back against the seat, pulling him on top of her. He braced himself above her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Sof." He broke off the kiss and tried to look in her eyes.

"Mhm?" She bit her lip.

He wanted to badly to kiss her, but he restrained. “We can’t make this like last time.”

"I never pegged you for a romantic." She scooted out from under him and sat up.

He sat next to her and pulled her against him. She rested her head on his shoulder as he spoke again. “I just want this to be right this time around.”

She traced circles on his thigh through his jeans. “But I miss you.”

He turned her face up towards his and kissed her deeply. “Soon,” he whispered.

"Alexander White!" She moved away from him. "I am offering myself, hot and ready, to you, and you’re just going to deny me the pleasure of your company?!" She tried to act serious, but his gaze just melted her.

"Oh, I don’t think it’s my company you’ve been missing." He smiled mischievously.

She turned towards the steering wheel. “You can go.”

"Sofia." He scooted next to her.

He felt a smile tug at her lips, but she kept her face stern. “No, you can go.”

He finger tips ran up and down the side of her thigh. “But don’t you want to kiss me goodnight?”

"I’m fine." She kept looking forward.

He put his mouth extremely close to her ear. “But, Sofia, I want to kiss you goodnight.”

It was the way he said her name. She turned her head, and it was all over. He kissed her and whispered “soon” before sliding out of the truck.

He made her head cloudy. She shook the clouds out as she turned the ignition and started home.


	12. Chapter 12

“Sofia!  Your Uncle Val is here!” Meryl called up the stairs.

Sofia looked at herself in the full length mirror.  There was more effort present than usual for her.  She was wearing a cranberry sweaterdress, black tights, and chestnut riding boots.  Her hair was pushed over her right shoulder, and what little makeup she had on was only to enhance.  She wore a long, thin gold chain with an ‘S’ charm hanging off.  All of this effort was not for her Uncle Val.  It was for what was promised to her because she had dinner with Uncle Val.  Not that she didn’t love Uncle Val, but she was mostly looking forward to her date with Alex afterwards.  

Meryl told her she could go on her date if she stayed for dinner.  Maks didn’t get that it was a date, which made Meryl laugh.  He was in denial.

It was Sofia and Alex’s fourth date in two weeks.  They hadn’t had sex in three.  Alex was waiting for something.  After she was turned down after their talking animal movie, Sofia faced the same rejection after a dinner date and a day trip to New York.  She thought the day trip would be it, but he drove her home with a small kiss goodnight instead.  

But tonight, there was hope.  It wasn’t dinner, so maybe a dessert date?

She had an idea of what they could eat.

She shuddered.  Three weeks had turned her into an animal.

But first, dinner with Uncle Val.  Poor Uncle Val.  His 15 year marriage to a retired Russian ballerina had ended in divorce a couple months ago.  Their 13 year old dancing prodigy daughter, Clara, was left bouncing between an artist’s apartment in Manhattan (Val was too business oriented for the ballerina.  Before their divorce was even finalized, she moved in with a wealthy sculptor in the Village) and his home halfway between the Whites and his brother.  Clara was with her mother this weekend, so Uncle Val came to dinner.

“Sofia!  Come see your uncle!  Now!”

Sofia ran downstairs under threat of no date.  In the kitchen, Val held out his arms towards her.  “You look beautiful, Sof.  Got a hot date tonight?”

She hugged him.  “Nope!  Just hanging out with a friend, but for now I’m all yours.”

“Good,” he smiled.  Val looked a little worn down, but Chmerkovskiy men aged well.  Under Meryl’s orders, they grabbed plates and utensils to set the table.  “So, you leave in about a week for your second Grand Prix qualifier?”

“Yes, Dresden.”

“Are you nervous?”  He smiled.

“I just want to win.”  She looked down at the plates she was holding.  “We’ve been training really hard.”  It was true.  They were in the healing part of an intense three weeks.  Every muscle in her body had been thoroughly worked, and she could feel it in every movement.  Advil had become her best friend.

“How is Alex holding up?”

“Better than I am!”  She laughed.  “He’s always so put together, and I’m a mess.  We’ve both become really driven about our careers in the past couple months, so we’re on the same page there.”

“You’re a mess because you’re the performer.  I’ve watched you two.  You’re the one who brings programs to life.”

Sofia nodded and felt a blush creep into her cheeks.  “He’s gotten better.”

Val wore a knowing smile as they walked back into the kitchen.  He leaned into Meryl and whispered to her.  She smiled and nodded excitedly in response.  Val looked at his brother and shook his head, laughing.  He did not want to be there when Maks found out.

The dinner was light and uneventful.  Val was asked if he had started dating again, and he replied that he was trying to reconnect with people from his past.  Meryl looked very excited to hear that.  Sofia was asked if she was dating as well.  She replied that she was focusing on her career and getting into college.  Meryl rolled her eyes.  Maks still didn’t get it.

Sofia excused herself at 8, giving her parents and uncle a quick kiss and promising to be home by midnight.  She got into her car and typed in the address Alex had given her.  It was unfamiliar, and in a small town that was basically a forest.  She tried not to think about it as she started driving.  She actually felt nervous.

After about 20 minutes, Sofia pulled off of a main road onto an unlit gravel one.  She clutched her steering wheel and leaned forward, trying to see through all of the trees and night.  Her phone said she still had 3 minutes until her destination, so she squinted into the dark for 3 minutes more.  The road came to an abrupt stop, and a field lay before her.  Alex had driven his car off road, and he was parked a little ways from the center.  He was sitting on the hood.  

Sofia got out, and Alex stood when she slammed the door shut.  It was not a very short walk to him, so she took in her surroundings.  The vast land was surrounded by trees that seemed to touch the sky.  The darkness on the road was replaced by a sort of navy twilight.  Stars were starting to show up, but it was obvious that the sun had just set.

When she got to him, he took her in his arms and breathed in.  “This is all kind of cheesy,” she murmured into his neck.

“I can take you home…” he pressed his forehead against hers and smiled.

“No, I’ll stay.”  She rested her hands on his chest.

“I was running out of date ideas, so I went for the tried and true.”

“This is only our fourth date, Alex.”  She pulled away slightly, amused.

“I’ve never dated before, Sofia.”  He let go of her and went around to the passenger side of his car.  He came back to her with a blanket, a Tupperware, and a box of what seemed to be sparklers.  He handed her the two boxes and took a few steps to lay out the blanket.  He sat down and patted the spot next to him, inviting her to sit.

She rolled her eyes slightly and did so, tucking her boot clad legs under her, while he stretched out onto his side.  “I didn’t exactly dress for gallivanting through fields.”

“I like the way you’re dressed.”  He ran a hand over her hip and onto her tight clad thigh.  “And we’re not gallivanting.”

“What are we doing?”  She tried to look at him seriously, but ultimately failed.  He was just too much, looking up at her and his hand resting on her leg.

“Eating cookies,” he reached for the Tupperware and opened it, showing a still warm batch of chocolate chip.  “And playing with sparklers.”  He nodded towards the other box.

“Let me eat my cookie first.”  She smiled and picked one up.

“How was the dinner?”  His thumb was drawing circles on the inside of her thigh.

“Good, I guess.  He’s sad, and my dad doesn’t really know what to say, and my mom doesn’t think it’s her place to say anything.”  Sofia examined her cookie.  “We don’t have to talk about that stuff.”

“We can talk about whatever you want to talk about.”

“Don’t be a pushover, Alex.”  She looked towards the trees.  “I don’t like you because you’re sensitive.”

He sat up.  “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, this is sweet.  All the dates have been so sweet, if not a bit one sided because you won’t let me take you on a date, or, like, initiate physical contact.  I get that you want this time to be different, but it was so good before!  When we hung out and fucked all the time!”

“So I did do something wrong.”

“Just be yourself!”  She turned towards him and grabbed his hands.  “Wow, now I’m the cheesy one.”  She smiled slightly.  “Don’t be watered down and sugar coated you.  Don’t be a jerk off either.  Just be you.”

“But you’re cute when you’re cheesy.”  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her softly.

“There we go.  You’re almost there.”  She giggled, fingers playing with the hem of his henley.

He kissed her with more passion this time, helping her to lie on her back.  “Better?”  He kissed down her neck as a hand slid under her dress.

“Much.”

—

Afterwards, he got another blanket from his car, and she sat pressed against him, blankets secure.  She would hold lit sparklers in her hand, and he would try and blow them out, thinking he could.

Three words, eight letters bubbled at both of their lips, but neither said anything.  Sofia kept imagining that the final light before a sparkler would go out was the last syllable of her telling him.  Definite and strong.

_I love you._


End file.
